Latvian Political Monitor

The state #budget must be fixed, it threatens our identity and cultural values! ❌ No Progress is visible for increasing the low salaries of leaders of song and dance festival collectives. ❌ The State Culture Capital Fund must be ensured a specific 3% rate from the excise tax. #Dziesmusvētki https://t.co/XaQyAKYQvi

Reminder to the Progressives that Latvia does not belong to you or immigrants, Latvia belongs to Latvians #LatvijaLatviešiem

Rarely does a matter enter Latvia's political agenda that provokes not only discussion but even hatred, setting two opinion camps against each other and radicalizing them to the point of promising physical retaliation. I see the fuss around the Istanbul Convention as an excellent lesson in democracy, proving that not all questions can be settled by a simple majority of votes. It is still unclear how to balance the political will of the silent majority and the hyperactive minority. What role do participation and political activism play as an argument for being 'right'? And where should we place the passive onlookers who have no opinion on this matter? Those who try to answer these questions by explaining decision-making algorithms in a democratic society are the true statesmen, taking on the role of mediator. Without such commentary, Latvia will most likely sink to the level of tribal thinking, where different societal and interest groups will draw insurmountable red lines against one another, and people with a different opinion will not be allowed to remain. At present, politicians are doing everything possible to bring society closer to a brawl. The president should take on the main mediator/peacemaker role, as the harmonizer of political cliques and society's interests, while protecting the people from parliamentary arbitrariness, ensuring that votes stem from the common good rather than political expediency, PR tactics, or similar principles. Unfortunately, Rinkēvičs once again demonstrated cowardice by hiding in the lilacs and 'kicking back' to the Saeima the examination of the question of withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention. In doing so, the will of the people's elected representatives was denied, even though the ratification that took place two years ago was the product of the president's own party's political trading, completely unconnected to voters' values. The Istanbul Convention demonstrated another truth. Our elected representatives are not political philosophers but mere hangers-on, seeking every opportunity to cling to power. It remains to follow the rumours about throwing ZZS out of the coalition, when the United List and the National Alliance 'agree' with the president's proposal to entrust the examination of the denunciation of the Istanbul Convention to the next Saeima. That elected deputies are not great thinkers is proven by the 2 November 'Nekā personīga' report, in which some ZZS representatives were asked 'What bad has happened because of this convention?', and the only answer was 'No, I will ask you, what good has happened?' Obviously, these biological voting machines can only follow faction discipline, not reason and conscience. Therefore, seeing how arbitrarily and irrationally decisions are made, with lines drawn between 'good' and 'bad', one must ask whether politics is just the sum of subjective views, or whether there are questions in which only one correct answer exists regardless of political orientation. Both yes and no. Mostly it is the result of choices based on subjectivism, but on questions involving undeniable, non-redefinable reality there is only one answer, and the will of the voter is not an argument there. I also support the denunciation of the Istanbul Convention, because several formulations used in it are unacceptable to me: first, the historically existing structured violence of men against women (where in Western culture is that acceptable?) and, second, the term 'gender', understood as socially constructed sex/gender roles. The fact that only ladies wear ball gowns is also a socially constructed stereotype, and let us not criticise the Edgarses who wear bikinis. 'Husband' and 'wife' are also socially constructed roles. If so, then a man can also choose the image of a wife and in the future marry a man who embodies the image of a husband. And they will be able to adopt children. And that is just one word, one concept that denies biological reality, which they try to silence with an awkward explanation about the need to strengthen the determination to fight violence (in that case, I propose composing an anti-violence declaration once a week and sending it to all EU member states). In fact, that is where this discussion begins and ends. And counterarguments such as 'let us fulfil only the good points of the convention' are also irrational, because, as supporters of destructive ideologies grow in the Saeima, one should not prematurely provide a legal basis that enables laws contrary to the common good. The rest of the convention's content, which genuinely concerns reducing violence, is already woven into Latvian laws. Try hitting any accommodating woman and remaining unpunished. And you will also be punished if you hit a man. And no supporter of denunciation is an apologist for violence. That cannot at all be said about a country whose executive branch has only one ministry with a slight male majority (the Ministry of Defence). And a few more coincidences. On the political front, the biggest and loudest defenders of the convention are the same people who believe that better than a safe and peaceful environment for a woman are a machine gun, mortar, and howitzer, i.e. military service, where, believe me, the chance of suffering violence is quite great (in wartime, of course). And what a wonder that the picket outside the Saeima, in which reportedly several thousand people took part (including many minors and mere passers-by), was organized by NGOs that receive EU and Latvian taxpayers' money to bring to life the ideology derived from the Istanbul Convention, holding seminars on gender quotas in corporate boards, justifying it with the fight against institutionalised male violence? And then there is the Society Integration Foundation, which has created a movement (?) 'Diversity', disseminating information about non-binary identity and gender-neutral Latvian language. 'Centre MARTA', 'Mozaīka', 'Papardes zieds', which already teach primary-school-age children a very broad spectrum of sexual education topics, including 'gender' identities. If the convention, which repeatedly emphasises state and NGO cooperation, were denounced, the source of money for the protest organisers would threaten to run dry.

About betrayal, about today's vote. Watch, listen, share ⤵️ https://t.co/soppevVDaM

.State security is currently the main priority in Latvia, so in #Krustpunktā we will question Defense Minister @AndrisSpruds. https://t.co/SYluxu1xl5

@IeM_gov_lv @Valsts_policija @edgarsrinkevics https://t.co/no3FL4P5j4

If the convention is being discussed in the context of international relations, then a more reliable geopolitical partner is the US, which has not ratified the convention, rather than Germany, which is hooked on Russian gas, the Muslim-wrecked Great Britain, or Macron's France with a 'call to Putin.' By the way, did you know that the mayor of London, who is a Muslim, allegedly ordered lying about the number of rapes in the city, concealing about 9,000 rape cases from the public? The Istanbul Convention is also in force there. And what about the 16-year-old Swedish girl who was raped in Stockholm, but the immigrant criminal was not arrested because the rape act was not long enough?

@zemenulauks @dzeselets I would rather say that I prefer the US, which also has not ratified the convention. They are probably very pro-Russian. Total Kremlin people, Putin fans. The strongest NATO country.

@zemenulauks In my opinion, the Criminal Law, courts and police have saved lives.

Approximately 1.5 million people yesterday did not attend and did not intend to attend the protest organized by a leftist NGO against withdrawal from the convention that declares that gender is a social construct. Wise, enthusiastic, patriotic representatives of all ages and professions. Many people who care about Latvia. Thank you!

On Thursday, #Krustpunktā will answer viewers' and journalists' questions, Justice Minister Inese Lībiņa-Egnere (@ineselibina). https://t.co/lE7KdvsrVq

ABOUT THE SHOT DOGS: no one from the Ministry of the Interior and the State Police came to answer questions today!!! 💥 https://t.co/646iY2LOAc

“We must not fall out of the European core of values,” said the lady whose adviser was FSB agent Sols Bukingolts. Let me remind you what leftist rhetoric is: “Jump out the window!” “No.” “Putin wouldn't jump either, so you're a Putinist!” https://t.co/fOfL2PjW0Z

Fellow countrymen, wake up! The fuss over the Istanbul Convention is truly an introduction to the campaign for the next Saeima elections. However, I am surprised by the ease with which the politicians of 'New Unity' and 'Progressives', who consider themselves the only and greatest patriots of Latvia, are ready to jump into one boat with elements harmful to Latvian and European cultural values. Apparently some have forgotten that the most ardent defenders of the convention are often the same ones who like kebab shops enriching the culinary scene, 'Wolt' and 'Bolt' students on the streets of Riga, gang wars in Sweden, mullahs in Paris, and rapists on the streets of Berlin! In my opinion, the greatest shame for Latvia is brought by politicians who, instead of a backbone, have an angel that helps them bow before their master. Thank God and Latvian courage that we still live in an independent country and are sovereign enough to be able to 'suffer international shame', although such suffering is not and cannot be an argument in resolving internal matters, especially those concerning the destruction of society's fundamental values. I remind you that the Istanbul Convention is a devil in sheep's clothing, because it fights against violence only in its title. But in its content, it opens the gates of migration to people from countries where gender is not recognized as a 'social construct'. It will pave the way for same-sex marriage, because why could a man who feels like a woman not marry a man who feels like a man? The Istanbul Convention will poison children, teaching 'How Karlīna became Kārlis (and vice versa)', telling already in elementary school that not everyone feels comfortable in their body, but, pardon my bluntness, something can be cut off, something can be sewn on, and everything will be fine. They will stay silent about the later depression and high suicide risk, unrealized life and eternal regret. That, of course, would not be in Putin's interests? Latvians still have not restored their numbers to the level of 1915, but there is no shortage of politicians who seek new ways to limit it. Birth rate is catastrophically low and, quoting demographer Ilmārs Mežs, Latvians will last another hundred springs. Every year the population decreases by approximately twenty thousand, but some hotheads stand and fall for a convention that will give part of Latvia's sovereignty into the hands of the international supervisory institution GREVIO, so that it can ascertain an excellently performed national suicide. Oh, I forgot, but returning to the content of the convention, Article 12(5) and Article 38 seem strange, which stipulate that crimes against women committed 'in the name of so-called honour' are prohibited, as well as female genital mutilation, for example, complete or partial clitoridectomy. It also states that 'member states shall ensure that culture, customs, religion, traditions' are not considered a justification for violence. What cultures are being talked about? As far as I, a Latvian, a European, a Westerner, know, our culture has no such traditions. Nor do we have customs of beating women. And the few alcoholics who beat their wives while drunk can be arrested without the convention. I think Putin is truly delighted to see Europeans destroying themselves, calling taking the path of common sense 'Kremlinism'. But that is truly the Kremlin school - if unable to have a political discussion, call the person expressing a different opinion a 'Kremlin agent'. And references to the UN are nonsense. Russia sits on its Security Council, and the Human Rights Council has been led by Iran, where women are beaten to death by the Morality Police for showing a bare ankle in public. I would suggest following the example of NATO's most powerful country, namely the United States, where Trump has signed a decree recognizing only two genders, banning gender reassignment surgeries, and stopping the diversity, equality, and inclusion ideology, firing generals in skirts and driving men out of women's restrooms. Fellow countrymen, wake up!!!

...has also dramatically increased in England - it has increased 7 times, in Germany 4 times, in France 5 times. All these countries have joined the IC. Question: has this document been able to protect ALL women and children from violence? How did we fare with that Straujupīte remote control case? Oh, right, quickly released and continues to operate. How nicely the IC works for us! And I can cite such examples again and again, only there won't be enough space for one post! WHY SUCH AGONY? The loudest and most aggressive defenders of the IC are those who will lose funding for promoting their left-liberal (read LGBTQ+) ideology. All those pickets and protests, helplines (one costing over a million euros a year), prides and carnivals, methodological materials for brainwashing children about genders - all of them will have their oxygen (read 'funding') cut off, and this hateful fight is about that. Hence the agony. IN CONCLUSION… This is my answer to all aggressors, hate-mongers, and emotional abusers. I answer with facts, without personally attacking those with whom I disagree, because in my view facts are stronger than words that are desperately thrown not only at me, but at the broader Latvian society. Those words mean nothing to me because they are not about me; they are about them and it is their agony that they themselves have to deal with. I would like to add, using their own terminology - to deal with it 'respectfully', but apparently that which they themselves preach applies only to their community, but not to society as a whole. Thank you for your attention.

I, a heterosexual woman, who at the moment is neither pregnant nor has small children (because grown ones don't count), have become a target of those same 'us against violence against women' defenders. I am called both a 'dark one' and a 'Kremlin agent', and brutal hate speech is spread in media, news portals and social networks, also involving influencers who spread lies and hate speech. This is a clear example of emotional violence and it is one of the types of violence against which all the aforementioned, including Unity and Progressive deputies and their ministers, their own journalists, judges, law enforcement, political scientists and other 'experts' fight so much. But what a surprise, I am not protected from this emotional violence, because the Convention does not protect those like me – heterosexual women who are not pregnant and do not have small children. And now about everything in order, point by fact ⤵️ WHAT IS 'VULNERABLE PERSONS'? The Convention's Explanatory Report explains that vulnerable persons are: * pregnant women and women with small children, * persons with disabilities, * elderly people, * sexual minorities (lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender people – LGBTQAI+). Hence, women who are not pregnant and do not have small children are, in the Convention's view, not 'vulnerable' or 'easily vulnerable'. Let's continue. 'GENDER' – a social gender concept that replaces biological sex. One of the most radical aspects of this document is the 'gender' concept used instead of 'sex'. Sex is treated not as biologically determined but as a social choice. What does this mean in practice? The Convention is the first international treaty that contains a definition of 'gender' in the sense of social theory – it is one of the foundations of LGBTQ+ ideology. Here is a real-life example: those men who identify themselves as women (because gender in the Convention's understanding is, I quote, 'a social choice') can freely go to women's locker rooms, where there are also little girls, and if some woman reprimands him and drives him out of the girls' locker room, he will feel emotionally and violently offended, and he will have every right to sue that woman in court. Or, for example, biological men's participation in women's sport (where there are only women!) will be normalized, because his gender is 'a social choice'! Or another example: a rapist who has been sentenced to prison can be transferred to a women's prison, because... well, you already understand. Question: at which exact moment in all these examples is a heterosexual woman protected, being neither pregnant nor a mother of small children??? Answer: nowhere, because she is not classified as a 'vulnerable person'! INTERFERENCE IN EDUCATION AND IGNORING PARENTAL RIGHTS Another thing that makes this document dangerous is that it is the first international treaty that provides for interference in the education process of a sovereign state, blatantly ignoring parental rights in children's education – rights guaranteed both in Article 112 of the Constitution and in international human rights documents. In Article 14 of the Convention, the key words are: 'information on' to be included in 'curricula at all levels of education', which in English is followed by 'gender roles', 'gender-based violence'. I have talked a lot about this 2 years ago, when I discovered carefully hidden methodological materials of the Ministry of Education for the youngest students about gender change! DATA AND STATISTICS Finally – data and statistics that speak for themselves. Denmark and Sweden joined the Istanbul Convention in 2014. Per 100,000 inhabitants in 2014, Denmark had 15 rapes, Sweden – 60; in 2023 per 100,000 inhabitants Denmark had 115 rapes, while Sweden – 192. So in nine years of the Convention's operation, the number of rapes in Sweden has increased more than 3 times, and in Denmark almost 8 times. Many rapes have occurred in groups, in broad daylight and on the street. Among the victims are also minors – both girls and boys. Also, data show that the number of rapes in the last 23 years... continued⤵️